Scheme to improve congested Dawsons Corner ‘at very early stages’

12 September 2017

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Busy Dawsons Corner could be improved as part of a multi-million pound scheme to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Initial proposals to improve three junctions – the A647/A6120 Dawsons Corner, the A660/A658 Dyneley Arms and Fink Hill/A6120 Outer Ring Road in Horsforth – will be considered in principle by the council’s executive board at its meeting on September 20.

The three junctions are all key areas for improving traffic, bus, cycling and pedestrian flow and are also considered important for future housing growth and economic development.

The executive board will be asked next week to approve the development of proposals and also to give authority to spend an initial £1.525m to prepare the plans and carry out public and stakeholder consultation.

The improvements are expected to result in improvements to air quality in these areas due to less congestion and better traffic flow, with bus journey times also reduced and improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.

The proposals at Dawsons Corner and at Dyneley Arms are expected to involve the council buying land immediately adjacent to allow for the junctions to be expanded. At Fink Hill, improvements to the Outer Ring Road would expand capacity on the approaches to the junction using highway land.

The plans for Dawsons Corner reflect comments made in the recent Transport Conversation survey, where 78 per cent of respondents in that area of the city called for investment in schemes to reduce congestion at busy junctions.

Leeds City Council executive member for regeneration, transport and planning Councillor Richard Lewis (Lab, Pudsey)said:

“It is early days with these proposals so it is important to stress they are initial plans and now we need to have the full and proper consultation and discussions about them.

“The need to improve all of these junctions is important not only to improve traffic flow and air quality, but also they are essential links to future housing growth and developments and for people to be able to access jobs more easily with consistent travel times.

“Alongside the recent improvements at Thornbury Barracks and Rodley Roundabout these junctions are vital for keeping our city moving, so we have listened to what people have told us and now we must work together to make sure we get these improvements right so everyone benefits.”

If all approvals are given, the improvements to the three junctions are scheduled to be completed by March 2021.

Funding for the improvement schemes, which are estimated to cost up to £30 million, would come primarily from the first phase of the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund’s Corridor Improvement Programme, with some additional funding for Dawsons Corner possibly coming from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme.